Today I read Numbers 33 where the journeyings of the children of Israel are laid out. It details all their travels from the moment they left Egypt. When I was younger, I used to wonder what it would be like to read the large plates of Nephi, to read all the details of the Nephite civilization and everything that happened. And then I read the Old Testament, specifically chapters like this. I realized that except to a historian, chapters like this are boring and hold no doctrinal value at all. Then I become glad for Mormon an his years of reading through all the records and finding the precious parts of the Book of Mormon that he included.
It's not that chapters like this are not valid, far from it. Like I said from a historian's point of view this chapter is pure gold. They can trace the exact path the Israelites took for forty years assuming they can find the places based on their ancient names. That is very valuable information to have and for historians it makes them giggle with happiness like a little school girl. The way the rest of us do at other things. But from a doctrinal standpoint, this chapter offers nothing of interest to us at all. So I will not say it is worth nothing, because to the right people it is worth everything. But for our purposes and for the purpose of finding those plain and precious truths, it does not offer anything to us at all. Until tomorrow.
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